A report published recently by Microsoft suggests a third of people in Britain believe it is acceptable to use pirated software, while one in six admitted using illegal computer programs at home or at work.

Only a third felt they had a good understanding of the major risks involved, such as computer viruses, losing personal information and identity theft.

Microsoft’s report found that, of those surveyed, one in eight employed adults admitted using pirated software at work. London was named as the UK’s piracy hotspot with 14% of people using pirated software at work. Over half (57%) of respondents said they believed their boss would consider the practice as acceptable.

Julian Swan, Director of Compliance Marketing at the Business Software Alliance (BSA), said:

“Businesses have many excuses for not managing software effectively. Cost cutting, ignorance and changes in IT personnel are often cited during legal action. But the cost of being found using unlicensed software far outweighs any perceived savings. Businesses expose themselves to the risks of fines, reputational damage and data loss if they allow software to be duplicated or downloaded from illegal websites. It may seem like a cost saving but it’s a likely cause of major regret.

In December last year the BSA ran a campaign encouraging employees to report their companies if they thought they were using illegal software. It also temporarily increased the potential reward for reporting software piracy from £10,000 to £20,000.